Being Balladeer

It's Time to Stake the Claim

It’s hard not to feel protective or defensive of an artist about whom you feel so passionate. It’s also hard not to make comparisons, almost always a misguided proposition. That’s why when Adam Lambert appeared on the cover of Entertainment Weekly toward the end of the season eight American Idol competition as the crown certain, I couldn’t help but feel a little tweaked that David hadn’t gotten similar press love when he was in precisely the same position. But then again, I quickly told myself, EW never liked David. Or, more accurately, never got David.

Neither do I put much credence in the opinions of that publication anyway; the editorial staff reminds me of a gaggle of bitter queens and their fag hags, the kids from high school who got chorus parts in the school musicals and then proceeded to snark and snipe from the wings about those with real talent and a passion for hard work. David was never marginal enough for these wannabes. He was too clean, too mainstream, too morally grounded, too freaking nice. EW proclaimed Adam to be a “true original — and just what the show needed.” What a bunch of malarkey. Where I come from, Adam is about as original as every third twentysomething walking down the streets of the East Village or Williamsburg. Since when does guyliner make you original? No, Adam got EW love because he was way more their type: flamboyant, iconoclastic, insecure, and over-the-top.

But then came the Rolling Stone cover, at a point when Adam was officially #2 — the same role, again, that David was in a year ago. Why the press love for Adam? Or, more to the point, why the absence of same for David? I think tagging Adam’s not-so revelatory acknowledgment of his sexuality as the basis for the attention is a little too facile. It is a story (I guess), an easy one anyway, one that still — for perhaps just a few more cultural minutes, at any rate — retains the faintest wisp of something scandalous or at least unconventional, but it does not on its own account for the high profiling.

No, I put it down to identity entertainment. Just as all the debates over identity politics during the long presidential election gave us insight into the difference between using personal attributes (race, religion, history) as a primary measure for competence rather than performance and policy, so too it is easier, for both press and public alike, to assess and embrace an entertainer based on similarly dubious measures. Familiar models outpace true originals in almost every case. Far from being original, Lambert’s glam-rock goth boy persona trods a well-worn path, blazed decades ago by the likes of David Bowie, Ozzy Osborne, Pete Burns and Boy George, among others.

The David Archuleta persona does not fit into any neat, familiar models. There are highly original, even revolutionary aspects to his persona, but they are deep rather than broad. Indeed they are unspectacular, even as they are rare and even transcendent. David’s generosity of spirit, his remarkable compassion, his gentle nature staked with a steel spine — these unusual qualities don’t lend themselves to shortcut symbols or iconic illustration. David, to put it simply, is not a type.

But neither, I would argue, has David given the press or the public sufficient reason, so far, to connect him with any of the more performance-related attributes on which he should be building his renown. As he undertakes writing and reconnaissance for his new album, I pray that David has the wisdom to make something of a return to his roots, and offer up at a least a few pieces that will help to seed the market with the one attribute by which he will inevitably come to be known and revered. Namely: The Voice.

On one level, David’s first album was an obvious attempt to answer a chorus of critics whose expectations of him as the boy balladeer seemed already entrenched. But beat-based pop music doesn’t test the mettle of vocal prowess, nor does it reveal true vocal sophistication. There is nothing wrong with that, of course. The appeal of beat-based pop music lies in other dimensions. But when it comes to the expressive sophistication of the human voice alone, nothing offers as suitable a setting as the ballad. For all their successes in up-tempo numbers, great one-for-the-ages voices like Ella, Frank, and Barbra were never more revered than for their work on ballads.

By being balladeer, David solves two critical issues in the trajectory of his career. First, it provides a shortcut-hungry media with a tag, a category, a bucket for the David Archuleta brand. Like anything else, categories have their pluses and minuses. At one extreme, without any way at all to identify an artist, they simply won’t be covered, or will be covered in too vague a manner to seed memorability or even interest. At the other extreme is the risk of being pigeonholed. My sense at this point is that David’s first album went too far in the anti-ballad direction, which resulted in proof that he could successfully take on other categories, but failed to illuminate what makes him so uniquely gifted and powerful in the first place. And second, being balladeer will capture new fans in broader demographics by bringing the The Voice in all its glory to the market: the enormous subtlety of phrasing, the sleek charcoal tone, the hunger and yearning that opens caverns of emotion. In a phrase, David needs to make us cry.

Even if he does get pigeonholed to a certain degree, I’m left wondering what is so god-awful about that. Who is the contemporary male singer who owns the ballad? Is there anyone? Not only is David the Balladeer an opportunity for strong identity, it is a thrilling prospect for sublime heart connections all over the world. Then, David can finally be recognized for what is truly his, and which no one else can conceivably match.

I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m done. I lost my cool and I apologize to the other TDCers.

We have only 6 days until Del Mar. I want to know who is going, who is taking videos, if someone is going to get back online QUICKLY after the concert and report in to us. We don’t do well when we have long stretches of no David performances. Our addiction to David makes us all fidget and yearn and stuff. LOL

Angelica . June 13, 2009 .

mia ~ What Rascal may have brought up on a gay web site was meant for that site, within that context, and should have been left there. If he had wanted them posted here, he would have done so himself. He obviously didn’t want them posted here where David or his family might be hurt by them.

You did.

Abrra . June 13, 2009 .

jackryan4da . June 13, 2009 at 10:33 am .

What program do you use to rip the stripped videos?

Abrra

davidfanLIZ . June 13, 2009 .

Abrra -- thanks for that: At TDC -- “We discuss in depth (David’s) artistry and talents. We use full sentences. We debate.”

Any comments that fall within the description above are welcome here.

marlie7 . June 13, 2009 .

Oh, I just got my TDC pins and my second t-shirt. (feeling fangirly about that).

davidfanLIZ . June 13, 2009 .

I LOVE my TDC button!

Second tee-shirt???? Oh my, you are out-of-control, girl!

admin . June 13, 2009 .

Mia,

After being admonished by several more-knowledgeable commentators that your topic was not suitable for this site, you went ahead and continued to expound on it anyway.

Your decision to ignore the guidelines of the site after being given several warnings has resulted in your comments being moderated.

marlie7 . June 13, 2009 .

dfLiz #157 -- Well, I bought the first one and it wasn’t made for a woman over the age of, oh, 12. LOL So, I’m giving it to my son’s girlfriend (teeny, tiny, skinny minny) and keeping the larger one for me.

highervibe . June 13, 2009 .

JR -- Thank You X 1000 for the mediafire files! Greedy piggy here would like to know if the .wmv files (Angels and ALTNOY) can be converted to mp4s (like ATM)? I don’t know how to do so, and can’t play .wmv files on my iPod.

Abrra . June 13, 2009 .

highervibe . June 13, 2009 at 1:09 pm .

I use a nice conversion program called Any Video Converter. There is a free version.

River…sadly I am not going to Del Mar…too many other events planned at that time…

I have 2…front row seats…section 3…which is in front of the stage to the right about where he plays the piano…

If anyone wants them…and I will sell for the regular ticket price…(but paid dearly for them, my fault I guess)…please reach me through the contact page…I will courier them to anyone in time for the concert…

SB

vermeer . June 13, 2009 .

JR, thank you SO MUCH for the Samurai Cook Off videos!! David is such a joy to watch no matter what he is doing!

Marlie #152, no need to apologize at all. You are great!

See you all later. A full day ahead.

SandyBeaches . June 13, 2009 .

Angelica #162…Those are the most mystifying moments in his history of singing that I have seen…It would be interesting to have people’s take on it as I am at a loss for the words…Deep in his musical thoughts with passion and emotion, expressed in the most musical way…my guess.

I apologize if the iheartradio videos have already been discussed, but I just got to see them today (big thanks to desertrat & jr4da) and I’m blown away.

Angels alone is pure poetry. The whole thing.

From David writing “David Archuleta Stripped” on the blackboard (talk about getting our attention, lol)
to the camera floating above the crowd like an angel watching, listening
to those hands gliding over the keys
to the screens glowing like fireflies
to the soft,smoky rays of light
to the joyful face of Everyfan
to the faraway look in David’s eyes
to the magnificent, magical loveliness of That Voice
… it’s like a beautiful dream, come true.

Think I need some air.

raelovingangels . June 13, 2009 .

TOFaN 167…..SIGH. Just when I think I can’t fall in love with David any more, this week we get the Fanpack and the stripped songs and ethereal videos. Your description is perfect. Yeah, he strips our emotions bare.

TO Fan.. believe me, to be there and see the joy in David’s face was unforgettable. I had wondered about the bigger cameras and now I realize we were part of something very special. He, however, paid no attention to anything but his people and his singing, as always. He said it was one of his very favorite performances and we all felt so glad to be a part of that.

refnaf . June 13, 2009 .

Came home to the links of the stripped David (haha) via TOfan with many thanks to JR and desertrat… absolute bliss after a long day.
I appreciate so much the words of my fellow TDCer’s to describe David. The Voice with it’s “enormous subtlety of phrasing, the sleek charcoal tone, the hunger and yearning that opens caverns of emotion.” thanks Rascal ((hug)). I can never put it into words, so glad that others can.

Angelica #162, eeeeeeeeeeeeeee

TOfan#167, no air on this David ride….he takes our breath away.

refnaf . June 13, 2009 .

Del mar roll call,,, teee heee
My daughter and I!!!!

quiteblanc . June 13, 2009 .

Del Mar! Here I come. Just me, husband can’t make it from Geneva.

Marlie, Sorry, I don’t have a video camera, and not a good photographer anyway.

silverfox . June 13, 2009 .

Del Mar..oh yeah! My sis, her Daughters, mr brother & his wife and I are all going to David’s concert. So excited! Can’t wait!

BTW, Jeff tweeted about guitars on order for David & Daniel…hmmmmmm, wonder if Daniel’s is a bass guitar???

silverfox . June 13, 2009 .

MY brother, not mr brother…We are on a first name basis!

Angelica . June 13, 2009 .

SB#166

Mystical? David does go there while on stage at times, but that signature collapse of his is something he has done at practically every performance of that song on tour.

You do it once, it’s mytical. You do it every time and it is performance art at its best. That’s my take on it and why I said he makes me do these things, because he absolutely blows me away with his skills. I have to keep watching to take in how incredible he is. He is acting out *not letting go*, by dropping and hanging suspended by just his grip on the mic stand. His limp body portrays a visual of how exhausted he is with the struggle as does the passion and determination on his face as he rises to do battle again. I will say it again…David Archuleta is a genius.

TOfan#167

I have to wait till I get home from work to watch the stripped videos. Your description is making my anticipation much more intense. I saw the pic of the blackboard on another site, but I didn’t know it is David’s writing and they filmed him at it. I will have to be content to repost your description instead, which deserves another read.

“From David writing “David Archuleta Stripped” on the blackboard (talk about getting our attention, lol)
to the camera floating above the crowd like an angel watching, listening
to those hands gliding over the keys
to the screens glowing like fireflies
to the soft,smoky rays of light
to the joyful face of Everyfan
to the faraway look in David’s eyes
to the magnificent, magical loveliness of That Voice
… it’s like a beautiful dream, come true.”

You torture me. Thank you.

SandyBeaches . June 13, 2009 .

SF…check your email please…a small gift awaits you…

SB

beebee . June 13, 2009 .

TOFan, oh YESSSS. The stripped vids truly are simply TMTH! PHEW!

…speaking of which, omg, imagining David doing anything from Joni’s “Blue” album gets me all *shakey.* I’ve imagined him singng “River”, too. MANY TIMES. It’s just that pesky “… loved me so naughty, made me weak in the knees” line that might pose a lil itty bitty problem. LOL. But HEY, who KNOWS. He names that album among his all-time faves (mine, too!) — maybe he WOULD sing it, “naughty” and all. =:O Seriously, if he ever performed/recorded that song… it could possibly kill me. Daid. Jez sayin’.

ps- this thread is so full of stuff to blither about I can’t even pretend to START. Just {{{rascal}}} SO happy to see/read your post. David is the maestro of the ballad … and much, much MORE!

*fluffing pom-poms* \o/

Bebereader . June 13, 2009 .

Valbraz #123

“Go The Distance” sounds beautiful in Spanish too! It’s a lovely melody. Can’t wait for David’s version. It will outshine all the rest, as always,

I’m so excited about the Stripped versions of the songs from the PC Richards show. Dawn65 you were so right that night, when you said that “Angels” was David’s best one to date. Wish I had been there, that magical night. TOFan #167 Loved your description!

We haven’t forgotten about the campaign to have David sing the full song “One”. More details to follow very shortly. Get your letters ready!

jackryan4da . June 13, 2009 .

ABRRA -- no software. I read the source codes LOL

MARLIE & THE OTHER IE-USERS — By default, IE temporarily stores media files played online into a temporary folder. This means when you played the Y100 files in full, your computer already saved stand alone files of them.

To look for the files,
1. From TOOLS, click INTERNET OPTIONS
2. Click SETTINGS under the BROWSING HISTORY tab
3. This will bring you to the Temporary Internet Files & History Browsing window. Click the VIEW FILES button
4. This should bring you the TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES windows. If you sort the files by size (largest to smallest), the video files should come up 1st.
5. Drag the video files to your PC/laptop -- voila, you have the files already.

happy . June 13, 2009 .

rascal-

this thread-

beebee177- ♥. Can I take that as a submission for the Songs Series?….

jackryan4da . June 13, 2009 .

HIGHERVIBE #160 — I made sure that the most popular media types are in there (mp3, mp4, wmv) so everyone can enjoy them

Hey everyone! Just checking back in for the latest. Thanks for the vids!

jackryan4da . June 13, 2009 .

BEBEREADER -- David singing the full version of ONE will be the end of me… can’t wait LOL

beebee . June 13, 2009 .

happpyyyyy♥♥! Yes you may take that as a submission. I have so many of them I can’t even begin. It would be a spam-o-rama if I started.

jackryan… I’m with you (and bebe) on “One”, too. *thud!*

*waves to bebe!*

btw, HG, I really love your ZG vid!

annnnnnd …

marlie (89) YES!! “He doesn’t need to give up the rest, just make that a kind of “signature exclamation point” in his career.”

amb4dja, (111) what a GREAT post. And “That undeniable VOICE and his infectious, authentic spirit, which absolutely distinguishes David Archuleta is irrepressible and will happily keep keepin’ it real, no matter who “gets it” and follows along…” YESSSSS

emmiegirl, (125) you summed it all up for me perfectly. David is the real deal and the complete package like nobody else. Can’t say it enough. “Who out there truly compares? And he is 18 freaking years old!”

marlie7 . June 13, 2009 .

JR #179 Wow, thank you. I use Firefox, but now know I can switch to IE and follow your guide. I had no idea!

djafan . June 14, 2009 .

Del Mar roll call

Will be attending with daughter, granddaughter and granddaughter friend.

dja -- how old are the grandaughter & her friend? When my grandaughter (almost 4) heard I was going to a David concert, she demanded to go. Unfortunately we’re on opposite coasts, though I will be on the east coast near the end of tour. All the decent seats in DC are gone except nosebleeds to the right. Not sure my son would allow her to go, anyway.

djafan . June 14, 2009 .

fandaforeverti48 -- granddaughter and her friend are 12. They love David.

I have a 4 year old granddaughter who listens to him all the time and says he’s stuck in her head….lol

But she’s to young for me to take… bathroom breaks and all.

My daughter is the mother of the 12 year old…she’ll deal with that. Do I sound selfish?…..lol

jackryan4da . June 14, 2009 .

MARLIE -- i suggest that you don’t drop FireFox cos in terms of security and facility, it is still a better browser. I actually keep IE just for THAT purpose LOL.

FANDAFOREVERTI48 -- 4yo demanding to go with you to see David — how adorable is that!

GUYS -- By the number of TDC’ers going to Del Mar, it is turning out to be a TDC gathering. Hope to see some videos of you guys!

goboywonder . June 14, 2009 .

Do you know the way to Del Mar?

Yep, my daughter and I will be attending.

Rascal, you make my brain hurt and I say that with much respect. After rereading and thinking, I have to say that I love all of David’s music so far but is does seem to be his ballards that I connect with most (it was Imagaine that drove me to the internet), that move my soul. I have already lost count of the number of times I’ve listened to that Prayer of the Children video. Beautiful doesn’t really describe it. Just love him!